Research Report 2004-05 Survey of Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students Summer 2004 – Spring 2005

Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Institutional Research Hope, Knowledge, and Opportunity Research Report 2004-05 Survey of Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students Summer 2004 – Spring 2005 University Park Campus PC 543 Miami, FL 33199 Telephone: (305) 348-2731 Fax: (305) 348-1908 www.fiu.edu/~opie/cqis/index.htm Office of Planning & Institutional Effectiveness The Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey is one of a series of Continuous Quality Improvement Surveys instituted by Florida International University’s Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness This is the sixth survey report from the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey The information in these Continuous Quality Improvement Survey Reports will be distributed to members of the university community and will be used by the appropriate departments to enhance continuous quality improvement efforts Every effort has been made to ensure that the data contained in this document is accurate For further information about this and other Continuous Quality Improvement Survey Reports, visit our website at www.fiu.edu/~opie/cqis/index.htm, or contact Institutional Research at irsurvey@fiu.edu or 305-348-2731, (FAX) 305-348-1908, or visit us at University Park PC 543 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Executive Summary of the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey Fall 2004 – Spring 2005 I Summary of the Responses to the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey Fall 2004 – Spring 2005 Introduction Methodology: Sampling Design Statistics Table Return Rates of Summer2003-2004 Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students By College/School Table Comparison of Response Rates By College/School 2002-2003 II Primary Findings from the Summer 2003 – Spring 2004 A Principal Indicators of Satisfaction with FIU B Items With the Highest Correlations C Strongest Predictors of Overall Academic Experience D Strongest Correlates of Overall Satisfaction With Graduate Program 4 4 8 III Ten Principal Indicators of Overall Satisfaction With FIU (A graphical analysis) Figure 1: Overall Satisfaction Figure 2: Overall Academic Experience Figure 3: Challenged to Do Best Figure 4: Recommend Graduate Program to Others Figure 5: Satisfaction With Department of Major Figure 6: Professors Were Good Teachers Figure 7: Availability of Research Facilities Figure 8: Professors Were Good Researchers Figure 9: Research Quality In Graduate Program Figure 10: Faculty Availability to Collaborate On Graduate Student Research 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 IV Six-Year Comparison of Ten Principal Indicators of the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students’ Satisfaction With FIU Figure 11: Overall Satisfaction With Graduate Program Figure 12: Overall Academic Experience Figure 13: Challenged To Do Best Figure 14: Recommend FIU Figure 15: Satisfaction With Department Figure 16: Professors Were Good Teachers Figure 17: Availability of Research Facilities Figure 18: Professors Were Good Researchers Figure 19: Research Quality In Graduate Program Figure 20: Faculty Available to Assist Research Conclusions 14 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 21 21 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE GRADUATING MASTERS AND DOCTORAL STUDENT SURVEY SUMMER 2004-SPRING 2005 This report summarizes the main findings from the Summer 2004-Spring 2005 Florida International University Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey, a Continuous Quality Improvement study conducted by the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness This survey was adapted from a prototype survey developed by the SUS Accountability Committee on Survey Activity (Legg, Final Report, 1992) The survey was designed to measure graduates’ satisfaction with and attitudes about Florida International University The survey design assured respondents of their anonymity in an attempt to facilitate candor The Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey was distributed to 1,863 individuals who were members of the graduating classes of Summer 2004, Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 The survey was returned by 200 graduates, for a response rate of approximately 11% The comprehensive survey asked questions about the graduates’ satisfaction with Florida International University in various domains such as the quality and availability of faculty in their major, the quality of research produced in the graduate program, the quality and availability of academic advising by university advising staff and faculty members, and the quality of the libraries The survey also questioned graduates about the frequency of use and quality of services such as Counseling and Psychological Services, Recreational Services, and Health Services Ten principal indicators have been singled out as the most reliable measures of the graduates’ satisfaction with FIU and have been summarized below  Overall Satisfaction With Graduate Program: 82% of the graduates indicated that they were satisfied with their graduate program (24% very satisfied, 58% satisfied)  Overall Academic Experience: 78% of the graduates rated positively their overall academic experience (29% excellent, 49% good ratings)  Challenged: 88% of the graduates agreed that they had been challenged to the best that they could (54% most of the time, 34% some of the time)  Recommend FIU: 80% of the graduates reported that they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative considering their graduate program (38% without reservations, 42% with reservations)  Satisfaction with Department of Major: 62% of the graduates were satisfied with the department of their major (18% strongly agreed, 44% agreed)  Professors Were Good Teachers: 79% of the graduates agreed that their professors were good teachers (33% strongly agreed, 46% agreed)  Research Facilities Available in Graduate Program: 68% of the graduates rated positively the availability of research facilities in their graduate program (22% excellent, 46% good)  Professors Were Good Researchers: 67% of the graduates agreed that their professors were good researchers (33% strongly agreed, 34% agreed)  Quality of Research in Graduate Program: 70% of the graduates rated positively the quality of research performed in their graduate program (26% excellent, 44% good)  Faculty Available to Assist Graduate Student Research: 74% of the graduates rated positively the availability of the faculty to assist them in their research (33% excellent, 41% good) Items With the Highest Correlations  To the extent that graduating respondents were satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU, they would also recommend FIU to a friend or relative (r = 79, p < 001)  To the extent that graduating respondents rated highly the research quality in their graduate program, they also rated the research facilities in their program highly (r = 76, p < 001)  To the extent that graduating respondents rated their overall academic experience highly, they also rated highly the quality of instruction in their program (r = 74, p < 001)  To the extent that graduating respondents rated their overall academic experience highly, they were also satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU (r = 73, p < 001) Strongest Predictors of Overall Academic Experience  Extent of agreement that they received a high quality of instruction in their program (r = 74, p < 001)  Extent of agreement that they were satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU (r = 73, p < 001)  Extent of agreement that they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative (r = 71, p < 001)  Extent of agreement that they had the opportunity to interact with faculty in their program (r = 69, p < 001) Positive responses to the ten principal indicators of satisfaction remain relatively high, with positive responses of over 75% for five of the principal indicators Positive responses increased for six of the ten principal indicators of student satisfaction compared to the responses of students graduating in Summer 2003-Spring 2004 Positive responses to the ten principal indicators of student satisfaction generally were stable across the six-year period (1999-2005) I SUMMARY OF THE RESPONSES TO THE GRADUATING MASTERS AND DOCTORAL STUDENT SURVEY SUMMER 2004-SPRING 2005 INTRODUCTION It is vitally important that student feedback is elicited by an institution of higher learning on a comprehensive range of topics involving the university community One such avenue of feedback is to request graduates to look back on their time at Florida International University and to provide faculty and administrators feedback on their thoughts and attitudes about their experiences at FIU Therefore, a Continuous Quality Improvement survey is distributed to graduating students each semester to give each individual an opportunity to have a voice in relaying his or her observations and experiences during his or her matriculation at FIU This report summarizes the main findings from the Florida International University Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey, a Continuous Quality Improvement study conducted by the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness This survey was adapted from a prototype survey developed by the SUS Accountability Committee on Survey Activity (Legg, Final Report, 1992) This survey was designed to measure graduate satisfaction with and attitudes about Florida International University The survey design assured respondents of their anonymity in an attempt to facilitate candor METHODOLOGY Sampling Design The Registrar’s Office provided an exhaustive list of all graduate students who had filed intent to graduate forms for the Summer 2004, Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 semesters These students were e-mailed a letter from the survey coordinator and the ViceProvost of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Two e-mail reminders followed up this initial letter before the end of the semester Two-hundred graduate students who were expected to graduate at the end of the Summer 2004, Fall 2004or Spring 2005 semesters responded to the survey out of a graduating class of 1,863, a response rate of 11% Table shows the number of graduates by college, percentage of graduates by college, and response rate by college Table shows the response rates for the Summer 2003- Spring 2004 data collection compared to the Fall 2004-Spring 2005 data collection Appendix A provides the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey, with tabulated responses for each question Statistics The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5 In general, a three to five point scale was used for the survey items, with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes A variety of simple statistics are reported such as percentages and frequency Correlations (also called bivariate relationships) are used to describe the relationships between two variables The degree of correlation is denoted by “r” (Pearson Product Moment Correlation) A positive correlation indicates that as scores increase for one variable, they also increase for another variable (or both scores decrease) Table 1: Return Rates of Summer 2004-Spring 2005 Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students by College/School College/School Architecture Headcount Population of Graduating Class % of graduating # class Returned Surveys Return Rate (% of all returned) minus (% of class) # % of all returned % % 19 1% 1% 11% -16% Arts & Sciences 317 17% 60 30% 19% 6% Business 455 24% 31 16% 7% 0% Education 306 16% 24 12% 8% 1% Engineering 214 11% 21 11% 10% -11% Health & Urban Affairs 415 22% 42 21% 10% 18% Hospitality Management 50 3% 3% 12% 1% Journalism 40 2% 4% 18% 1% Law 47 3% 1% 4% 1% Not Reported n/a n/a 3% n/a n/a Totals 1,863 100% 200 100% 11% Based upon the response rate patterns, it is believed that the respondents were not representative of the 2004-2005 graduating class The response rates from each college varied widely from 4% in the School of Law to 19% for the College of Arts and Sciences Respondents from the College of Arts and Sciences were over represented in the survey responses These respondents returned 30% of all surveys, but they represented about 17% of the graduating class Respondents from the School of Business were under represented in the survey responses These respondents constituted 24% of the graduating class, but they returned only 7% of all surveys Table 2: Comparison of Response Rates by College/School 2002-2005 % % Return Rate of Surveys Summer 2002-Spring 2003 % Architecture 11% 0% 6.9% Arts & Sciences 19% 13% 17.6% Business 7% 6% 11.6% Education 8% 8% 6.1% Engineering 10% 7% 7.3% Health & Urban Affairs 10% 4% Hospitality Management 12% 9% Journalism 18% 13% Law 1% n/a Totals 11% 10% FIU College/School Return Rate of Surveys Summer 2004-Spring 2005 Return Rate of Surveys Summer 2003-Spring 2004 22.1% 22.9% 3.6% 14.6% It should be noted that it is unclear whether every student filing an intent to graduate form received a graduating survey from the Registrar’s Office as several emails were returned with error messages Therefore, the response rates that are indicated may be artificially low The response rates were calculated by dividing the total number of responses to the survey by the number of graduating Masters and Doctoral students for the pertinent semesters II PRIMARY FINDINGS FROM THE SUMMER 2004 – SPRING 2005 A Principal Indicators of Satisfaction with FIU Introduction Ten principal indicators have been singled out as the most reliable measures of the graduates’ satisfaction with FIU These measures include: their overall satisfaction with their graduate program, whether or not they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative considering their graduate program, whether or not they felt challenged at FIU, their satisfaction with the department of their major, the quality of research in their program, and the quality of the research facilities in their program In general, FIU graduates reported very positive attitudes toward the University (You will find the percentage change from the Spring 2004 survey findings in parentheses The responses were rounded to the nearest percent.)  Overall Satisfaction With Graduate Program: 82% of the graduates indicated that they were satisfied with their graduate program (24% very satisfied, 58% satisfied) (-1)  Overall Academic Experience: 78% of the graduates rated positively their overall academic experience (29% excellent, 49% good ratings) (-1)  Challenged: 88% of the graduates agreed that they had been challenged to the best that they could (54% most of the time, 34% some of the time) (+3)  Recommend FIU: 80% of the graduates reported that they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative considering their graduate program (38% without reservations, 42% with reservations) (=)  Satisfaction with Department of Major: 62% of the graduates were satisfied with the department of their major (18% strongly agreed, 44% agreed) (+1)  Professors Were Good Teachers: 79% of the graduates agreed that their professors were good teachers (33% strongly agreed, 46% agreed) (=)  Research Facilities Available in Graduate Program: 68% of the graduates rated positively the availability of research facilities in their graduate program (22% excellent, 46% good) (+7)  Professors Were Good Researchers: 67% of the graduates agreed that their professors were good researchers (33% strongly agreed, 34% agreed) (+4)  Quality of Research in Graduate Program: 70% of the graduates rated positively the quality of research performed in their graduate program (26% excellent, 44% good) (+1)  Faculty Available to Assist Graduate Student Research: 74% of the graduates rated positively the availability of the faculty to assist them in their research (33% excellent, 41% good) (+1) B Items with the Highest Correlations     To the extent that graduating respondents were satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU, they would also recommend FIU to a friend or relative (r = 79, p < 001) To the extent that graduating respondents rated highly the research quality in their graduate program, they also rated the research facilities in their program highly (r = 76, p < 001) To the extent that graduating respondents rated their overall academic experience highly, they also rated highly the quality of instruction in their program (r = 74, p < 001) To the extent that graduating respondents rated their overall academic experience highly, they were also satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU (r = 73, p < 001) C Strongest Correlates of Overall Academic Experience     Extent of agreement that they received a high quality of instruction in their program (r = 74, p < 001) Extent of agreement that they were satisfied overall with their graduate program at FIU (r = 73, p < 001) Extent of agreement that they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative (r = 71, p < 001) Extent of agreement that they had the opportunity to interact with faculty in their program (r = 69, p < 001) D Strongest Correlates of Overall Satisfaction With Graduate Program     Extent of agreement they would recommend FIU to a friend or relative (r = 79, p < 001) Positive ratings of their overall academic experience (r = 73, p < 001) Positive ratings of the quality of instruction at FIU (r = 71, p < 001) Extent of agreement that they had the opportunity to interact with faculty in their program (r = 69, p < 001) APPENDIX B: ANSWERS TO OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS 36 IN WHAT SINGLE WAY DID FIU BEST MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS? Academics: • A legit MS, meaning I had to earn it • Loved the food classes in the program Some great teachers available in program • The use of latest technologies and curriculum • By providing a well rounded curriculum in my technical discipline • The quality of the research and the professors • academic teaching/training • The quality of the courses I took • Increasing my writing skills • Good comprehensive program not offered at most colleges • Quality education • In proving an education in which I can develop my skills • better education classes for my present career as a high school science teacher • My academic program challenged me in a way that I had not anticipated I did not expect the level of academic demands which were a part of this program, of which I am extremely pleased I feel I received more education than I paid for • Program • Opportunity for advanced education • Only Program in the field in South Florida • Academically challenging program Convenience: • availability of weekend program • Completed program in 10 months due to lockstep format • The hours that the courses were available were good except for one course, where the class was offered mid-day, and it was hard for me to get there with my working full-time • length of the program • Completion in One Year • The fact that the college had scheduled different class hours • Latin American and Caribbean Center offers programs that can be tailored to individual needs • I had relatives living in Miami • The degree was completed in twelve months • Providing a weekend program so I could work full time Cost/Financial: • FIU provided very reasonable value for the quality of education received • Funding • cost • Gave me an affordable education in the field of my employment • Teaching assistantship • Location, financial aid provided • Cost • offer the course that I wanted to study at the affordable tuition fee • Cost 37 Diversity: • Meeting new people • Good academic environment, meet people, a place to adapt myself to USA • Exchanging experiences with other international students • In a culturally diverse geographical location • Experience working with and learning from a diverse student population Faculty: • knowledge of the members of the faculty of the school of Music • My thesis advisor, in history, was key to my overall success as a graduate student • The warmth, sincerity and knowledge of public health of the faculty • Faculty was personable and helpful • Availability of professors • My professors • My major professor was excellent • commitment of professors and quality of teaching • Certain professors extended themselves beyond the classroom to draw attention to other university or professional opportunities • Very supportive and committed faculty • The privilege to work close with two of the best researchers in my field • Excellent professors who were very helpful in all aspects of my studies and also with personal matters and advise • Great teachers in the English and Writing Department • I had the chance to take courses with a well-respected researcher in our field • There were excellent faculty in my area • My professors were excellent • I felt that the professors at Computer Science really cared about my future I will always be thankful The computer labs are also excellent I already miss them The environment was great Miscellaneous: • Program format, location and cost • MBA • Proximity and reputation • Giving me the opportunity to study Journalism and providing me with the main tools and knowledge to pursue a career within the media business in the United States • unbelievable • Provided the way to get a degree • Met my Goals • improving public speaking skills • The program was much better than expected • Financial and Faculty support, especially major/mentor professors • The program is a decent program but lately I feel like there is a big change in the way I’m being treated because my nationality is being known by some professors I hope that I'm wrong • Friendliness and helpfulness of department administrative staff, advisors, and professors! I surprised when I came to FIU and found these people to be as responsive as they are! • I graduated with my PhD in Caribbean History That met my foremost expectation of myself • Comprehensive practical experience • no comment • FIU offered a program and faculty that offered the knowledge I needed to be able to get the job I wanted 38 • Was accepted to program • Reputation and Graduate Assistantship • No comments • program met professional growth needs • I expected that the program would be challenging • I am a better professional • It allowed me the environment where I could focus and complete my educational goals • N/A • location and cost • I love the cultural diversity of the university, most of the teachers are really well prepared and easy to talk to • I graduated • The cost was the cheapest in town Although I feel robbed by your doctoral requirement for paying ongoing credits for dissertation study • Experience in clinical sites • gave me the necessary knowledge needed for employment specifically for the area I want to work in I feel confident and have received positive feedback in my area I am proud that I had a job lined up since August so that when I graduate in December I will fill the position permanently • I helped me realized that graduate school open your learning channels so that you can learn by your self, professors are not as concern with respect to students as undergraduate professors • The extensive preparation for real classroom teaching, and the ability to meet requirements of state professional certification • Expanded my area of expertise • The classes were great, the side of school is perfect, the library help me a lot, everything meet my expectations • This university was the most convenient/affordable way to further my education in the forensic field • Low tuition, excellent academic integrity and staff • Did not know I could study conflict resolution; now I want to work in that field • FIU's flexibility was of extreme importance • Knowledge that I can immediately apply to my business • availability of funding and opportunity to work with my professors- who were just wonderful people having to accomplish a lot with little resources and sometimes de-motivated students • ACADEMIC AND WORK ATMOSPHERE IN THE DEPARTMENT • I enhanced my leadership and communication skills • convenient, affordable, and not that difficult to get good grades • It made me a stronger, more intellectually-driven individual • In general, FIU has shown respect towards me and my needs The people at the English Department are great - I couldn't have chosen a better place to study and to work • The services that were offered to students as well as the excellent facilities on campus • FIU provided the elements necessary to facilitate the achievement of my personal goals • offering assistantship • location, price • Up to date in use of technology in teaching, excellent aesthetics for a good learning process • Geography and major professor doing the kind of research I wanted to • It allowed me to meet my time and financial requirements Otherwise, I would have chosen a forprofit institution for on-line educational learning • Research resources Library resources Ability to attend conferences • It allowed me to sharpen my critical thinking skills and writing more coherently The graduate program forced its students to comprehend lots of material in a short period of time • Earning my degree 39 • It met my expectations Negative: • No way • mediocre entrance requirements = mediocre students • Maybe my expectations were too high FIU didn't meet them at all • None • I'm very sorry that I did not go to McGill or Brown when I was accepted! • easy program, just needed the degree to get a job in the field I strongly believe this degree is a waste of time and money when it comes to actual education • I have a piece of paper, that entitles me to a job learned much more at universities outside the USA • My Masters program was deficient in every way • FIU has failed to meet my expectations in every way I can not think of one single way that FIU meet any of my expectations • no • It failed on all levels, even those levels I had not known to exist Research: • Attained my degree and met very good research group • able to choose and conduct own research project with much good help and direction from faculty • Academic supervisor's research interest • I learned more relevant information through my thesis research then I expected • Easy access to research facilities promoting my research interest WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO IMPROVE THE GRADUATE EXPERIENCE AT FIU FOR OTHERS? Academics/Quality: • bring in higher quality students • Integrity and Quality of Instruction • Improve the quality of some classes as well as the pedagogical preparation for the teachers that are no associates from the SJMC We really need that all classes meet the quality levels off those related with our writing skills • Must use real situations in the class Each class have real situations to apply theory learned Classes could include field trips Classes need to include speakers from the field that are relevant to theory studied • Make it harder! Be more selective Convenience: • Provide better parking Night time parking should be closer to campus Reserved faculty parking should be open to evening students • More concern for the students, having people available after hours to assist students • In the School of Computer Science more curses should be added to the curriculum and the School should provide a more accessible evening class schedule for working students The quality of the courses taught should also be improved • longer semester, program had 7-week semester per regular semester; 8-10 weeks more appropriate • A more flexible schedule for working professionals 40 • have more grad classes in the evening for those of us who work I could NOT find classes during the evening for my science classes i.e biology grad classes They were always offered during the daytime hours I cannot take off of work just to attend class Faculty: • screen professor teaching intentions before wasting an entire semester • Some of the teacher out of the program [Educational Psychology, for example] need to learn not to compete with the students A better and careful selection of the teacher might be very helpful • Review of course materials before the professors taught them • More courses available per semester Some teachers are good but others just have it as a work and don't really worry if their alumni are learning or not • Improve quality of the faculty • There is one professor in the Engineering department, which I think give key courses for the master program and he used to be the graduate advisor, whose classes are really a waste of time and money • Most faculty members lack the ability to teach effectively • Quality of faculty Some professors are excellent while others shouldn't even be teaching Middle School Coming from the University of Florida, the difference in faculty was very noticeable • Teaching methods, make students become interested on the subject at hand Make a point after every lecture and state goals before every lecture • Communication between faculty and students • Better professors, professors that knows how to facilitate learning • Better prepared instructors with more up to date information • Professors more willing to "help" • Review professors’ qualifications • Research should not trump good teachers who choose not to engage in research but rather emphasize teaching • I would suggest that FIU really reads the evaluations that are done at the end of the semester and get rid of some of their incompetent staff This has, by far, been the worst instructors I have ever had • Teacher's skills and performance should be closely scrutinized • More faculty members in my department • Professors writing books that well be textbooks Miscellaneous: • There is no motivation on the part of the lecturers and the staff No one cares and you can see it and feel it in the way they conduct their classes and administrative affairs Value Added electives and PDS courses should provide more considering the extra dollars • Athletics • Coherence among professors and program • More challenging classes, more alternatives Find out what the students are interested and that The school needs to learn that the students are their clients and if we are dissatisfied, there are many alternatives • we need more assistantship to grad students; I wish I could have spent more time doing research • More Professionalism and Flexibility • More information sessions, specifically when there are major changes such as thesis/dissertation deadlines and new guidelines, etc • faculty student communication job availability after graduating • More hands on experiences Students should be able to go to companies and see how things are being done I can assure you that lots of students in my program can go to a field and don't know what to Labs need more equipments 41 • Make the core requirements more flexible to allow students to take courses in fields in which they are interested This would open up more options in the types of courses, without limiting the students to only or electives because of the required courses outside their area of interest • Improve library! Titles in my major are sorely lacking, and the library is frequently noisy (and unsupervised) • Offer additional classes specific to my area of study • More hands on classes • Install technical labs in the Pines Center • Pines campus seems like a forgotten step-child to the rest • A professor in the COE OAGS is knowledgeable and an asset to faculty His interactions (particularly his e-mails) are rude, raw and lack customer service or accountability for enhancing student education or outcomes Comments from my committee indicate that many feel he is too strong in his interactions in guiding individual committees He is referred to as a "committee of one.” I find it hard to believe that committee members, all with graduate faculty status and terminal credentials cannot adequately advise students, and what it comes down to is his decision If faculty need training that is something that should be handled internally within the COE Under the current system the burden falls clearly on the student An example of this is after getting committee members on my committee to agree on a direction, and after the study was completed he made recommendations to change the study that were never a part of the proposal process (thank God I kept my copy) He clearly rules the committee structure within the COE It would appear that this is a dissatisfied among faculty, and certainly among graduate students Why is the student punished if a dissertation committee lacks sufficient skill to direct the students writing and research? At the very least, he should be considerate of students in his communication Clearly, he has NO interest in students, he is an administrative person who lacks accountability in his role and it shows He is the primary reason (coupled with the current committee process) that I would NOT recommend FIU COE to fellow colleagues My faculty members were great, and I believe I chose wisely, what a shame that my final steps before graduation leave me with this impression • Students who participate in a program in which they are located out of district not experience FIU as the students who live and study within the area Consequently, we rely on the web and telephone as our source of contact Both the web and telephone have their own inherent problems The web is extremely slow at times The automated telephone system makes it very difficult to speak to someonereal time! • Improve computer Labs • I strongly recommend to improve the Career Services FIU needs to find jobs for their graduate students Networking events, companies presentations, on campus interviews, contact with the business community, etc • stronger mentorship before and during dissertation stage • Having better library resources and availability • This box is too small • Study more, complete all assignments early, and never miss a class • smaller classes • FIU should be a bit more accommodating in terms of providing transportation, food when there are field trips that may take one out of the county etc This is particular helpful for newer students new to the area and country Additionally if such costs will be incurred it should be noted for the description of the course so that students will know how to budget accordingly • Regulation of the hours worked by science majors • help with job placement, teach more, have more speakers from various recreation backgrounds • Communication between administration (fin aid)and teaching staff • Provide a graduate student only study area/library/computer lab • Better advisement and tracking of part-time graduate students that work outside of the university 42 • Decrease the amount of work for teaching assistantships Increase availability of research assitanships Re-open the FIU's Tropical Biology Program • Make requests and be very involved in school's activities and meeting professors • I would suggest that FIU have more classes available to its graduate students I found that some semesters there were not enough classes available to its students Additionally, having only one graduate advisor in the program was problematic In communicating with the advisor one had to call six to seven times in order to try and speak with her and received no responses to e-mails addressed to the advisor which resulted in a later graduation date for me, Lastly, I found that at times the administrative staff of CHUA was less than professional The things being taught to the students of the graduate program were not being exercised by its own administration • Make library better (more journals) • We as students were promised a stipend for four years; this promise was not kept There was no support to travel to conferences, even when we were presenting Seems like the College of Business has their priorities set on getting a new building, over their academic obligations • Eliminate the separate (and earlier) deadlines required by College of Arts & Sciences Also, simplify the paperwork related to thesis completion (too many forms) • Stop changing the program so much The College should act more as advocates for students when dealing with Tallahassee, explaining what their decisions up there on the ground floor here I was in three different programs in 2.5 years! • more interaction with other graduate students • More field experience • More effective use of dissertation committees now they have little power except to advise • More sensitivity to the fact that many Graduate Students don't live on campus, and are older adults with their own home and lives that they must attend to We want the camaraderie that comes with the University experience, but the University needs to remember we are not on campus on a daily basis grew to resent the fact that the University wanted to make its life easier (and more economical) by changing to more Interment experience, but nothing was made user-friendly for the off-campus student • I will improve more computers lab because in final, and midterm exams times, it’s difficult to use a computer • Lower tuition and provide more computer labs • needs a change in everything • Mandatory involvement in at least one campus activity • Improve the quality of programs Have better, well thought-out courses, emphasis on research and critical thinking Professors should have higher standards and expectations for students • More research-oriented grant projects • For the administration to realize that some graduate programs are small and that they can't place classsize minimums across the board for all programs It is important to make all graduate students feel equally as important in FIU Right now, certain programs seems to get preferential treatment • Get computers, labs, offices and other resources for grad students • Academic freedom to voice divergent opinions! Funding for assistantships and scholarships! Respect and accountability of the administration and the puppet student government! Departmental technology that is not antiquated and actually functions! • The administrative process that goes along with thesis writing/defense/submission while spelled out pretty well on the graduate website is BY far not a smooth process It would be better facilitated if the graduate student was only responsible for the signatures of their committee members and department chair Having to get the signature of the dean of their respective school and THEN taking it over to the graduate school seems beyond the responsibility of the individual grad student It causes all kinds of problems if the deadlines posted are not include getting signatures by the dean of the school you are in • I would recommend a LOT more opportunities for applied learning 43 • The Office of International Students should offer better services and their staff should be more prepared to help international students When you are a foreigner coming to the USA for the first time, you need support and accurate information - unfortunately I not think international students are well supported in this area • efficiency, intellectually challenging work with assistantships • Create an environment where students have the necessary materials to conduct research • I believe FIU should care more about the financial status of graduate students because we not make enough money to afford mistakes in contracts, losses in beaurocracy and many other problems that we face at the beginning of each semester • Surveys on-line every semester One semester in advance course availability listed for upcoming semester Open door policy to meet with Deans and provost etc • Reduction in out of state tuition which I hope is not your hands • Social with the Professors annually Get to meet them all and interact Professors become individuals that you were able to speak to in an academic and non academic setting They (professors) help to keep you motivated and excited, especially when you work 55+ hours, commute and have a family • Obtain employment internships for graduate students • Update the graduate manual It needs more detail in terms of creating the final dissertation document Considering that for most of us, this is our first serious piece of writing, we don't know "format, spacing etc." I found it hard to follow for the preliminary pages • Increase assistantship stipends • I kept correcting my thesis for Computer Science The school mentioned that they were going to have the format in LaTex available That would be very helpful • Need more elective classes within our department Department elective graduate courses are not as diverse as I thought they would be Programs: • Even though we had a program coordinator she did not appear to be very effective and many students including myself had problems when needing her assistance I don't know if the problems were a result of difficult University processes or just her inability to the job • It is hard to say because the different departments function so differently Within my own I/O Psychology program probably a greater emphasis on assigned advisors, a mentor program, and especially an increased focus on the importance/availability of internships Introducing some classes (may be optional) related with writing for radio and online media are a must for the knowledge of today's journalists • increase the number of faculty in thermal field in mechanical dept most of the faculty in mechanical engg dept are related to materials concentrate more on thermal and fluids area also • Availability of research • The program is based on quarters, not regular semesters, and it caused some major issues in regards to grading and financial assistance The administrative services of FIU need to be aligned to the program, or the program needs to change from a quarter-based program to a semester-based one • Reduce the length of the MBA program 56 credits is a very long program • Particularly for the Public Administration program, there needs to be more liaison between the college and public institutions for graduating students The ability to generate employment and internship for students from the program would appear more appealing to new recruits, i.e students who are considering attending the college Also, there seems to be no direct relationship between students of the program, faculty and staff This should be improved by having interactive sessions and also include group organization for networking purposes at these sessions 44 • Offering a wider array of courses for English Education students Both the college of education and arts and sciences would benefit students by forging a working relationship as far as classes are concerned • increase the internship program by putting the full force of the university behind it • During my program, we went through major changes too many times The program design changed drastically in the year and a half that I was a student I believe people enrolled because they liked the structure of the program and now by the end of the program, the structure is nothing like what we enrolled for Many were upset because of the many changes we had to be put through and I believe students shouldn't have to go through major changes each semester Obviously changes need to occur to improve the program, but I believe it was way too much for us • department should offer wider range of subjects for Master student • Within the MSMIS program, each class was over weeks held every Saturday for hours I would cut this down to hours and have it over a 16 week period I think this would have helped us cover more material • greater diversity in course offered in my department • To offers a variety of course and not advertise them • breadth of course offerings • There needs to be more research carrels for graduate students • the College of Health and Urban Affairs takes a hands off approach when it comes to its students I suggest that they take a more active role in the academics lives of their students Student Services/Responsiveness to Students: • The program had no advisors readily available for questions or guidance, and phone calls were never returned by faculty members • There is very little support staff or none at all in some cases Administrative duties like registration, etc were at best painstaking I think FIU needs to improve its overall services to students and employees alike • Change the whole administrative part, the support services suck • The efficiency and thoroughness of the University Graduate School They often lost or misplaced forms and documents Moreover, the voluminous amount of bureaucratic procedures places excess burdens on the graduate student These are often cumbersome and incredibly tedious, when the focus of the graduate program should be the research product (i.e.: thesis or dissertation) • A strongly believe that the Financial Aid Office and the Office of the Registrar need to be more closely looked at There are a lot of people that seem inexperienced and send you from one person to the next without answering the question They are also very rude • The Financial Department • Support for students' research and a "can attitude" rather than, well, that's really tough, it's hard to graduate in the summer She's out of town, I don't know who will sign the form Sorry we just can't accommodate a removable hard drive, sorry you are having trouble printing • Eliminate the round-robin that develops between the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Cashier's office when faced with problems and/or questions • Graduate advisors (not professors) The professors are not familiar with the most up to date issues regarding paperwork, research, etc It would be helpful to have available PHD students to assist the new masters students • Support services, such as registrar's office, financial aid office, etc need to be more friendly, helpful, and accommodating to students and their needs They act like it is a chore to help you • Please improve the culture of staff in ISSS front desk (men) • The financial aid service for graduate students needs to improved upon A lot of the graduate students are remote students at other sites besides campus The experience of dealing with the financial aid office 45 was less than professional I never received a single follow-up to any of my emails or phone calls in 1/2 years • The cost- plus program, too much money Administratively it was a bit disorganized, it did improve though, but there still needs to be some work done to make it even better • Drastically improve administrative services, especially bursar and cashiers My experience with them has been extremely frustrating, particularly while I was living abroad These services are difficult to reach, unprofessional and confusing They not reflect well on the university as an institution • More involvement with advisors interacting with students More emails sent out to students on up coming deadlines of course work and graduation deadlines • Advising is lacking at the graduate level We are generally expected to figure everything out • Be more organized Specially in admissions • There are constant problems for all graduate students on assistantships because the office of financial aid is extremely difficult to deal with When tuition waivers are late going through, they routinely drop classes without contacting the student, which causes major problems for the student It frequently takes the full semester to clear up all of the mistakes made by Financial Aid in the early weeks of the semester This is time-consuming and frustrating • Overhaul the Graduate School as well as the Graduation Office Their websites and forms need to be more user-friendly The deadlines and rules are disproportionately strict for policies that are changed so frequently • Customer service for students needs GREAT improvement Especially the lack of human to human interaction • Administrative services including registration, graduate school office, and bursar's office need to be dramatically improved We need new and better support staff at all levels with better attitudes toward their work COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING YOUR GRADUATE EXPERIENCES AT FIU • There is a huge lack of respect for international students More concern needs to be shown, especially for those who are not here with much finances Lecturers especially in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, need to be thoughtful with their lectures They need to be concerned about students and not only their research They had shown no motivation to students, and simply could not teach FIU needs to allow researchers to be researchers and teachers to be teachers There is also no significant complain system in place Every course, an evaluation is filled out Yet, even if 99.999% of students make comments on these lecturers who have no right to be teaching, and what the problems associated with them were, the same lecturer still remains in place because in most instances there is no person to replace him They should also be more careful in terms of who gets Tenure • FIU has achieved significant accomplishments in a relatively short period of time including the Carnegie Foundation classification - but outside of Miami it does not have name recognition I would like to see more of a national name recognition It is supposed to be one of the nations 30th largest schools but FIU is not as well known as Florida, Florida State, or University of Miami • too expensive, my degree was not worth the $18,000 tuition charged I probably got a 35% return on investment • Clarity when selling the program International students may get a little confused because they find a very different program than portrayed in the brochures and webpage • As you now know, I am 50 years old I went to college when I was 36 years old Of course I have an accent When I took Educational Psychology, my teacher was a Mexican teacher [sorry for not remembering her name] I took a test in which I had to choose between answering three of two answers I chose two Before she gave us our results, she staring talking that she was tired of helping people who 46 did not want to work and so on I went to her to tell her that the Math of my grade was wrong She told me that what she spoke in class was about me But, she had forgotten that I answered two questions She changed my grade in my paper but not in her grade book because she is very unorganized She embarrassed me very bad in front of the class, during a presentation, telling me that I had to correct my accent, while giving praising another student who was worst than I At the end, she gave me a B-, instead of a solid B She is not fit to be teaching at FIU because she is a black spot covering FIU's good name • In the specific case of this Master, a better planification of classes related with the computer applications related to our job will be a great help in order to give at least the minimum basis we will need in the day to day job Emphasize the contents and practice in the Adobe InDesign and Adobe PhotoShop classes are extremely important for today's journalists, since those are requirements most recruiters and organizations asks in our skills and experiences when we applied for an employment • Hire nice people with patience to work in the registrars office Every time I went in there to ask a question, I wanted to leave FIU It is horrible • Some teachers should have more preparation to dictate class Sometimes is not enough to know what you are teaching but it's necessary to know how to teach it effectively • Better organization and professionalism Thank you for giving me this opportunity • Better organization and professionalism Thank you for giving me this opportunity • Question J should have a "not applicable" category • Masters students, in particular, should be granted greater recognition within the university, especially during commencement Many are possible doctoral students and/or supporters of the FIU community • overall, I have enjoyed the time spent at FIU • Would like to see courses structured to ensure proficiency in statistical analysis Include grant writing courses or grant writing as part of a course Research course to include outreach component • My program needs more professors There is a great lack of efficient professors As far I know, there are only to great professors in that program and some students would say there is only one Student assistantships are being given to only groups of students: Asian and Arabs descents and some Hispanic as well • Some on-campus employees have limited English proficiency • None • Decrease the amount of tuition • There is an atmosphere of, well it has always been difficult, it has always been this way, we can't solve problems By this I am not implying I wanted it easy, indeed, the lack of high caliber discussion in most classes was disappointing I can read power point lectures myself for review Too many instructors could not step away from the power point I was hoping for discussion Every difficulty I encountered was treated as someone else's problem, or my problem alone, no one owns a problem therefore no one owns a solution rime example is the one time I got so fed up with financial aid not answering the phone for over two hours (rang incessantly) and tried to reach a supervisor, the kid on the phone says, "she is on the other line," I reply, "fine I will wait" Waiting for over five minutes, the kid checks in, "she is now talking with someone else, but I told her you were waiting," I reply, "thanks." Kid back on the phone about ten minutes later, "I'm sorry, but she left, she knew you were waiting, I don't know why she left." Typical of numerous encounters My major professor held out hope however, through every reversal and difficulty The phrase, well, you'll just have to graduate next semester comes easily to too many That's a thirty thousand dollar answer, give me a break I never once heard anyone say, let's see how we can make this work Defeatists at every turn • I am highly satisfied with the professors and their dedication to the students and overall industry knowledge Thank you to all the staff! • no comment 47 • I believe it is the people that make a program excellent, and I would like to thank all the great instructors in the program What a great group of people, thank you, thank you! • Need interdepartmental appreciation and collaboration • Two commmentsMy experiences with financial aid have been less than satisfactory My program of study was not the 'standard' enrollment for a masters program The academic course work was front loaded with full time clinical studies midway through the program Financial aid does not take this into consideration, the system is designed for enrollment based on a standard program of study The decision to have commencement the week of Christmas (and not on the weekend) was very inconsiderate This is a very busy time, the opportunity for traveling is limited Students who not live in the area and more importantly- their families may not be able to experience the ceremony with the graduate • One of the Professional Development Seminars (PDS III) was a complete waste of time and money The Professors did a terrible job and had the opposite effect than the intended goal of the class The College needs to change it or get rid of it altogether • I believe that a lot can be achieved through the interaction of students, faculty and staff Primarily with the Public Administration undergraduate and Masters Program a lot needs to be done to facilitate a growth between public organizations here in Miami, current students and new recruits • I loved the HR program, the professors were great I went in there with HR knowledge, but I still felt insecure as a professional Now I feel empowered and like a true HR professional Thank you, I am very grateful • I had a very hard time at FIU, the computer services are lacking for the size of university FIU has become Also, my department is extremely small for the size of university it belongs to • Literature courses that were stimulating and relevant to English Ed seemed to be only offered to undergraduates • Keep making incremental improvements I think the school/program is better today than it was when I started my studies here This University will be in good shape as long its leaders focus on education and not dollar signs • If FIU will be welcoming students who are employed full-time, the faculty must be available to students in the evenings and on weekends (on-campus!) For those of us who have a "school schedule" and work on our academic pursuits during the summer, it is not fair to find the buildings empty of faculty and staff during the summer months! • None • I think FIU is moving towards a positive development I think there is some work to be done when it comes to teaching Most professors give up, I think, because students find the material somewhat complex However the solution is not turn their back instead assign reading material, and homework to motivate students to get involved • Make administrative services available for consultation (no automatic e-mail reply, no answering machine , but names and people of reference); and make them accountable for their deeds, to include wrong or lack of advice to students It is not acceptable that fees that have been waived reappear on the student's account, that the student is given no notice about this, and that nobody is available for providing consistent explanations Bursar and financial services have been one of the major causes of frustration and time waist in my academic life at FIU • Need to respect and listen to students who are working alone on a thesis they developed Felt like if you were not in one of the professors research projects , you received little attention or help, (sometimes none) with your original research • There should be a 24 hour, secure study area for graduate students who need a quiet place to study away from home Home responsibilities sometimes prevent quality study or research time Even though the University is doing a massive building project, some classrooms/buildings are in disrepair and many are very dirty It is disconcerting to learning in an unkempt environment 48 • The choice of courses and the availability to take them is non-existent ad to settle for "anything" to meet requirements to graduate - has left me deeply disappointed Power struggles within departments - while we students are left "holding the bag" No recourse could be had to solve issues - we live in a democratic country, let us not forget that! • Much improvement is needed on items listed above • A small number of faculty could benefit from the use of clinical teaching evaluations and the creation of PDP' for their own teaching • no • bio classes should be geared for education the graduate level courses offered were mostly for the medical aspect, more marine bio, and other branches of bio instead of anatomy, physiology, neurology, etc More evening classes need to be offered to accommodate working students • Have someone audit the teaching styles of the instructors I have only days before the end of my class and I only have 5% of my coursework graded We are expected to so much while the people we pay to teach us sit back and nothing This University is lacking quality and professionalism in their instructors • Pay attention to the older students who fill up your graduate programs! he Creative Writing department is on the BB campus I would have liked some of the better literature courses there too found the Website hard to navigate There's lots of info, but it's hard to find • no • none • Overall, FIU needs to more to foster an academic collegial community for graduate student There are lots of programming geared towards undergraduates but very little for Graduate students Intellectual stimulation is lacking considerably on campus feeling among students is that FIU trains students to be entry-level workers and not leaders • If nothing else, please improve the way student services treats FIU students I am personally, not continuing a PhD program at FIU because I cannot take more years of abuse at the hands of some of the student services personnel Some are nice, but the majority treat students very rudely, or there will be a long line of students and the staff will be in the middle of a conversation that doesn't end No one will stop talking long enough to help a student I know to many employees we are a nuisance, but we deserve to be treated better, or at least not badly • Get Computer labs • FIU is a perpetual price-gouging failure in all respects I am disgusted by this institution • The professors at the Robert Stempel School of Public Health are wonderful and caring They want you to succeed and improve our Public Health-most of all make a positive impact on society Exemplary professors • A lot of classes I took were mixed undergrad and grad students, and it was those particular classes that I felt I learned the least Grad school should equal classes for grad student only, unless by special circumstances • I was very disappointed with my graduate experience at FIU Technological resources were scarce, financial aid was a nightmare, and the program was severely misrepresented to me when I applied • The graduate advisor is never available! The office is insufficiently run Professors are not available outside of the classroom Finally the selection of professors is entirely to small Often times you will have the same professor for or more of your classes This does not lend any variety to your course study • FIU needs acknowledgeable librarians who can better help students The financial aid office should provide a better service to the students who request any assistance • FIU is not a student oriented institution As graduate students who later represent the university, we struggle to complete our degrees with the poor quality of materials and resources we are given This is 49 true for the social sciences, at least, and yet we produce a large proportion of grants and final research projects • I graduated successfully from UF without one single glitch However, the university took the time and initiative to contact students (mail) with all pending forms and deadlines needed to graduate There was an internal tracking system that promoted effective communication with graduate candidates concerning forms, deadlines, etc I personally never witnessed individuals missing deadlines and miscommunications concerning graduate forms/deadlines at the rate that occurs at FIU The imposition of stringent rules and nonnegotiable adherence to deadlines by the Graduate School and the Graduation Office seems absurd when their rules change constantly making it difficult for students to follow I feel that an internal tracking system, like the one at UF, can minimize these occurrences and shift the burden of responsibility of deadline communications, and graduation tracking to the people that should be responsible for this, that being the university This would effectively leave the responsibility of studying and research to the student as it should be • Be more efficient and careful with forms Graduate school representative need to be more helpful and able to make clear suggestions • Relationship between the School of Music and other schools such as College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School is greatly strained and at times non-existent This leaves the graduate music student carrying most of the burden to make relationships smooth and figure out solutions with little help from the other programs This is especially important in regards to the thesis procedures, when great responsibility is required • Doing away with the GRE for the PhD track After coming to a close of one road, you hate to have to go back and take the GRE I would like to obtain my doctorate, but as a professional the GRE just becomes another hurdle to cross Create a recruitment from the MPA program that can start a cohort to finish even in a part time capacity (w/ online education) that will allow you to graduate within 24-30 months • Increase admission standards • I am really happy I went to FIU and will be always thankful that I got so much support and help 50 ... TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Executive Summary of the Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey Fall 2004 – Spring 2005 I Summary of the Responses to the Graduating Masters and Doctoral. .. the response rates of the students 23 APPENDIX A: GRADUATING MASTERS AND DOCTORAL STUDENT SURVEY 24 APPENDIX A Graduating Masters and Doctoral Student Survey Summer 2004? ?? Spring 2005 25 A Please... Rates of Summer 2004- Spring 2005 Graduating Masters and Doctoral Students by College/School College/School Architecture Headcount Population of Graduating Class % of graduating # class Returned Surveys